


Now’s Our Curtain Call

by FreyaAtterton



Series: Finally Feels Like Home [2]
Category: Iron Man (Movies), Marvel, Marvel Cinematic Universe, Spider-Man (Tom Holland Movies), Spider-Man - All Media Types, The Avengers (Marvel Movies), The Avengers (Marvel) - All Media Types
Genre: Action, Action/Adventure, Adventure, Alternate Universe, Angst, Angst and Hurt/Comfort, Angst with a Happy Ending, Drama, Emotional Hurt/Comfort, Family, Family Feels, Feels, Fluff and Angst, Gen, Hurt Peter Parker, Hurt/Comfort, Irondad, Parent Tony Stark, Peter Parker Feels, Peter Parker Needs a Hug, Peter Parker Whump, Peter Parker is a Mess, Precious Peter Parker, Protective Tony Stark, Tony Stark Acting as Peter Parker's Parental Figure, Tony Stark Feels, Tony Stark Has A Heart, Tony Stark Needs a Hug, Tony Stark is Good With Kids, Whump, spiderson
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-10-14
Updated: 2020-10-14
Packaged: 2021-03-09 02:28:30
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,668
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27007360
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/FreyaAtterton/pseuds/FreyaAtterton
Summary: Peter has never really wondered how he will go out. How he will leave this world.Maybe he’s too young to think about dying. Maybe he’s just too naïve and thinks he will always get away, he will always survive.Yeah well, maybe not this time.Because this is the end of Spiderman. He goes out quietly and alone. How sad.
Relationships: May Parker (Spider-Man) & Peter Parker, Peter Parker & Tony Stark
Series: Finally Feels Like Home [2]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1945681
Comments: 6
Kudos: 155





	Now’s Our Curtain Call

**Author's Note:**

> Hey guys, here's a new story for you. This a companion piece to the previous one, the story is roughly the same (I have even borrowed a few sentences), but the roles are reversed, this time Peter is in trouble. Remember, it's after CW; Thanos never happened.
> 
> Chapter title comes from the song Stole the Show by Kygo.
> 
> Disclaimer: no, I don't own Marvel. I wish.

Peter has never really wondered how he will go out. How he will leave this world.

Maybe he should have. Being a superhero is a dangerous job. He often gets hurt. Mostly, it's only a few bruises and scratches and with his advanced healing, that's never a big deal. Sometimes it's a stab wound or a deep cut or a gunshot wound. But that's fine, because Karen always alerts Mr. Stark (okay that can be really annoying, because it's not always necessary to call him, but Karen thinks otherwise) and the man patches him up or asks Dr. Banner to help and then tells Peter to be more careful and he's good to go.

Maybe Peter should have considered the possibility that one day his injuries will be too serious, though. One day there will be a bad guy that he can't web up quickly enough. One day his healing factor won't be enough. It's part of the gig, right?

But Peter has never really thought about that. Maybe he's too young to think about dying. Maybe he's just too naïve and thinks he will always get away, he will always survive.

Yeah well, maybe not this time.

It all started just like any other day. He was patrolling and swinging around in Queens, trying to help the little guy like always. He stopped a bike thief, found an old lady's missing cat, helped out some lost tourists and stopped some teens who bullied a young boy. Yeah, it was like any other night.

Then Karen told him about an ongoing robbery. He immediately sprang into action. Five guys made their way into a jewelry store and they were about to leave with the stolen goods when Spiderman arrived to save the day.

He honestly doesn't know what happened exactly. Of course, the criminals didn't want to drop their guns or duffel bags. Of course, they didn't like Spiderman's jokes. Of course, they started fighting. But… how was it possible that he didn't see that gun? Why didn't his spider sense warn him in time? Why wasn't he fast enough to dodge the bullets?

In the end, he stopped the thugs. He webbed them up and when he heard police sirens in the distance, he shot a web to a nearby building and swung onto the roof. Once his feet touched the ground, he yanked off his mask and collapsed. He tried to cover the two gunshot wounds on his abdomen with web and applied pressure to stop the bleeding. But it hurt so much. And despite his lack of medical experience, he understood it was bad. Very bad.

"Karen, call… Mr. Stark?" he ordered and frowned when he realized it sounded more like a question.

"Already did, Peter," Karen replied and sounded surprisingly concerned for an AI.

"ETA?" he slurred.

"Seven minutes."

Peter let out a big breath. He was afraid that he didn't have seven minutes.

And here he is now, unable to get up. Maybe he should, maybe if he could get on his feet and swing to the Tower himself… But it's not an option, because he can't move. Whenever he tries, he can feel the bleeding getting worse. Yeah, staying put and waiting here helplessly is his only option. Great.

If only it didn't hurt! But it does, it hurts and it burns. Even worse, he can feel blood dripping through his fingers. Obviously, the webbing is not very effective to stop the bleeding. He should add some more webs, but he doesn't dare to take away his hands from the wounds.

Karen regularly updates him on his vitals and Mr. Stark's ETA and he gotta say, it's pretty disappointing. Time passes way too slowly. And he's aware that he's in an awful condition, so he asks his AI not to inform him about that anymore. He knows his vitals are dropping and with blood constantly trickling from his wounds, he can literally feel his strength leaving him. Drop by drop. He's fading, he's getting weaker, he's getting closer to death.

And he panics. He starts crying, hot tears running down his cheeks. Because he doesn't want to die. Not now, not ever and definitely not like this. Not alone on a rooftop, bleeding out. Maybe at the age of 95 or something, in his sleep after a long and happy life. But not like this.

There's still so much that he wants to do in his life. Like graduating from high school and going to MIT. Training with the Avengers and learning cool fighting techniques from them. Working with Mr. Stark in the lab. Finally asking MJ out. And he doesn't want to leave Ned or Aunt May. They would be devastated.

His life might be not perfect, but he likes it. And he doesn't feel ready to let it go.

Then he chuckles to himself. Because how stupid he is. He should have known. He's been Spiderman for a while now; he should have known something like this could happen any day. He might be strong but he's not invincible. This is normal. Superheroes don't always live a nice, long life. They usually go down in a fight and it seems tonight has been his final fight.

So this is the end of Spiderman. He goes out quietly and alone. How sad.

Mr. Stark will arrive and find him in the pool of his own blood. But it will be too late. He's losing blood and time too fast, he knows that.

He swallows hard. He doesn't want this. He doesn't want his life to end like this. But he can't do anything about it, right?

Ned will be shattered. He's been always so kind and supportive, Peter couldn't wish for a better friend. This will break Ned. But MJ will be there for him, she will comfort him, they will stick together and get through this.

Mr. Stark… Peter considers himself very lucky to have Mr. Stark in his life. When Uncle Ben died, he thought it would always be just May and him but then Mr. Stark showed up and he has become like an uncle to him. No, it's more than that, he's like a father. It wasn't always easy. It wasn't a fast process. But now they're good, they're like family and Peter loves it. He doesn't want to say goodbye to his newfound father figure.

But it's even worse when he thinks of May. He's crying harder now, but who cares, he's alone on a rooftop and nobody can hear him.

May has been always so good to him and since Ben's death, they have got even closer. She lost her husband, the love of her life only a short time ago. And now she's losing her nephew, her only family. This will break her.

It might be actually a good thing that she started dating with Happy. He will help her through this. That's the only thing that Peter can hope for. And he has never even told May that he's okay with it. With her and Happy dating. She definitely deserves this. Finding a man again. Too bad he's never told her that.

Then he suddenly has an idea.

"Karen," he mutters weakly, swallowing back his tears. "Could you record a message to May?"

"Absolutely, Peter," the AI replies. "However, Mr. Stark will arrive in two and half minutes-"

"I want to do this now, Karen," he says through gritted teeth.

He's not sure he can make it, until Mr. Stark arrives. Scratch that, he _knows_ he can't make it. He's still bleeding and he doesn't understand how it is possible. Is there any blood left in his body? Considering how tired he feels, probably not much. At least, it doesn't hurt that much anymore. Is that a good thing, though? He doesn't know. And honestly? He doesn't care. Not anymore. He feels so damned exhausted, he just doesn't have any energy left to care or think.

He looks up at the black night sky.

Forgetting about the recording, there's only one thought left in his mind.

So this is it then.

It's over.

* * *

When Tony finally spots the small red and blue figure lying on the rooftop, he feels like he can't get to him fast enough. As soon as he hits the ground, he practically bolts out of his armor and runs to the unconscious boy. He kneels down beside Peter and gently touches his neck to check his pulse. Yes, Friday assured him that the kid was alive, but he wants to make sure in a sorry attempt to calm down his erratic heartbeat.

And yes, the kid is alive, thank God, but Tony can see blood, oh so much blood dripping from his wounds and pooling underneath him. It's bad, very bad. Karen and Friday told him, but it's still shocking to see it with his own eyes. He has never felt this scared before.

He gently pats the boy's cheek. "Pe-peter," he whispers, voice breaking.

But there's no answer. So he calls the kid's name again. Again and again, begging him to wake up.

"Pete, you gotta wake up, kid," he pleads softly. "Just open your eyes, kid. Everything's gonna be fine, I promise. Please, Peter, wake up."

But the boy remains motionless on the ground, his eyes stay closed.

"Boss-" Friday starts.

"I know," he interrupts her frustrated. "I'm taking him to the Tower."

Yes, it would be nice to see the kid open his eyes, that would definitely calm Tony's nerves and might convince him that he didn't lie when he said everything would be fine. But he can't waste precious time with that. He obviously can't help Peter here, he has to get him to the Tower, to the medbay. As soon as possible.

So he gets up, steps back into his armor and then leans down to gently scoop up the injured boy into his arms. While flying over buildings, he calls Peter's name again and surprisingly, he does open his eyes this time. The kid looks confused and his big, brown eyes seem unfocused, but Tony smiles under his helmet relieved. He knows the boy's condition is still critical, he's definitely not out of the woods yet, but it's so good to see him awake. More or less.

"Nice of you to finally wake up, kid," he says warmly.

"Mr-Mr. Stark?" Peter mutters. "What… happened?"

"You were shot. Twice," the man says through gritted teeth.

He knows the criminal who did this is already in custody, Friday told him that, but he wants to pay him a visit in prison and make him suffer for hurting his boy. But no, Peter needs him now, so he can't let revenge overwhelm him. At least, not now.

He glances down at the kid and he can see his eyes are closing again.

"No, no, Pete, no sleeping now, stay with me. We're close to the Tower, help is near, you hear me?"

"I…," the boy murmurs, obviously fighting hard to stay awake. "May… she… I wanted to… but I… tell her… Mr. Stark… tell her."

"What?" the man asks, though he exactly knows what Peter is talking about. He knows what the kid wants him to tell May. And he doesn't want to hear it. He doesn't want to hear any last words, not now, not ever. But he also needs to keep the kid awake and that's easier if Peter is talking, right?

"Tell… her," the boy explains slowly. "Tell… her that I…"

Speaking obviously requires too much energy from Peter, he's struggling to form the words, so Tony changes his mind and decides not to let him talk for now.

"You know what, kid? Whatever you wanna tell your hot aunt, you can say in person when we get to the Tower. And we're close, so don't worry. Friday will call her and Happy can pick her up, so you can meet her soon. Sounds good?"

But to his surprise, Peter squeezes his eyes shut and shakes his head irritated.

"No, you… have to tell her," he begs weakly. "You… have to… Mr. Stark… please."

Tony swallows hard. Gosh, what should he do? He can see the kid is in a terrible condition, Friday constantly updates him on Peter's vitals and he knows it's really bad this time. These injuries… they're bad. Like really bad. The kid has lost too much blood. The damage is too severe. It is possible that Peter won't make it. No matter how fast Tony flies. The doctors might not be able to help him. The kid might…

Should he let Peter say his final words to May? Kid would definitely feel better. But then what? What if Peter gives up fighting? What if he lets go?

On the other hand, what if Tony refuses to listen to the boy's message? If Peter didn't make it, Tony would feel guilty for the rest of his life. Because the kid wanted to tell a few words to May, obviously wanted to tell her how much he loved her, but Tony didn't want to hear it.

He looks down at the kid in his arms, unable to decide what to do. Geez, just how far is that damned Tower?

Peter is watching him, big pleading eyes waiting for Tony to listen.

And Tony's heart shatters into a million pieces. Because the kid isn't asking him to help, to ease the pain, to save his life. No, Peter has already accepted that he's going out. He believes he can't do anything about it and it's even worse that he believes Tony can't do anything about it either. And Tony knows how much the kid idolizes him. It's fucking ridiculous, because he's not a good person, he knows that and Peter should find another idol, but that's not the point now. Peter isn't asking Tony to help him or save him, which means he is fully aware how bad this is.

Which is horrible. Because a sixteen-year old kid shouldn't be in a situation like this. He shouldn't bleed out on a rooftop or up in the sky, above the city. He shouldn't think about last words. He shouldn't be okay with dying. He shouldn't die. He can't die. He mustn't die, dammit!

"Listen to me, Peter, listen to me carefully," Tony says and hates that Peter can see only his helmet and not his face. On second thought, maybe it's better this way. The kid shouldn't see the tears in his eyes. That would just scare him even more. "You need to hang on, kid, okay? You need to stay with me, you need to fight. You're a hero, Peter, you're a strong and brave hero, you just need to keep fighting a bit longer, alright?"

They boy doesn't say anything but lets out a big breath. He closes his eyes and the man freezes. What is the kid doing? Tony has just told him to stay awake, to fight. Why does Peter never listen to him?

Then the kid opens his eyes once again and Tony sighs relieved. But his relief immediately melts away when he can see something weird in those big brown eyes. What is that? As if Peter's asking for permission to…

No. Just no. Tony can't let him go. He can't allow that.

"I'm sorry, kid, but permission denied. You can't check out," he says firmly, shaking his head. Then his voice turns soft. "You can't let go, Peter, you just can't. I need you. You hear me? Your family needs you. May and Ned… and MJ, right? That's her name... I know what it feels like, kid, trust me… I wanted to let go, too, remember? But you asked me to hang on. And I did. For you, buddy," he reminds Peter, swallowing back his tears. "I just… I just want you to do the same for me, Pete, okay? Just hang on, kid, fight. Please. I love you, Peter. I know I should have said this earlier, but I'm saying it now. I love you, kid. Don't leave me, _son_. Please."

He remembers when he was the one on the verge of dying after fighting those drones he thought it was a mistake that he hadn't talked to Peter about this.

Because he considers him his son. Maybe it's not too late to say it now.

Tony is watching the boy anxiously, desperately waiting for a response. From the corner of his eye, he can already see the Tower. Just a few seconds and Peter will get help. Just a little bit more time… please.

Finally, Peter gives him a tiny nod and even a small smile, before closing his eyes.

Despite his tears, Tony lets out a small chuckle. Because Peter has just promised him to hang on and he trusts his kid.

"Thank you, Pete. Everything's gonna be alright."

* * *

Tony has spent the last two days in the medbay, never leaving Peter's bedside. May's here, too, she's devastated of course, afraid of losing her nephew, her only family. Tony tries to comfort her, tells her Peter is a fighter and he wouldn't give up, he wouldn't leave her. May just nods, but Tony can see she's not convinced. It doesn't matter, though. Because she'll see. Peter will wake up soon, he promised to fight. And this kid? He never lies.

Yes, Tony knows Peter lost a lot of blood, he knows it was really bad this time. But he will recover, Tony's sure about that.

Kid just needs some rest. And Tony can wait. He can wait as long as necessary, he just wants to be here when the boy finally opens his eyes. He wants to be here for his kid.

When Pepper manages to convince May to take a shower and grab something to eat, Tony stays alone with Peter in his room. He has a notebook and a pen in his hands, he's been trying to solve an algorithm for hours now. In the traditional way: no computers, no Friday, just a piece of paper and a pen. He wants some peace and quiet now. And if he succeeds, he could use solar energy to charge the repulsors of his suit. So far, he hasn't been successful. He knows there's something big that he keeps missing, but he can't figure out what it is. So here he is now, sitting by Peter's bed, chewing on his pen and staring at the paper in front of him, hoping to come up with a solution.

"That's a two," a weak voice suddenly croaks from the bed. "At the bottom… not a seven."

Tony doesn't even look up, he just chuckles. Finally. His kid is back.

"My math is never wrong," he retorts smiling.

"It's not, but your handwriting is messy," Peter mutters.

Still laughing, Tony corrects his mistake and shakes his head in disbelief when he realizes Peter has solved his problem. Of course. He shouldn't be surprised.

He looks up at the boy and gives him a warm smile. "How are you feeling, kid?"

"Tired," the boy mumbles.

"Understandable after losing most of your blood. But it's good to see you awake, Pete. May's just stepped out to eat something. Shall I call her?"

"It's okay, I can wait," Peter says softly.

Tony smiles again. He remembers how desperate the boy was when he asked him to deliver his final message to May. But now he doesn't seem to be in a hurry to talk to her. Now he knows he will have plenty of time for that. Good.

"Mr. Stark," Peter starts. "I just wanted to tell you-"

"No need, kid, I know," he interrupts him.

He doesn't want to talk about it. What happened while he was bringing Peter to the Tower. They don't have to talk about it. They should forget about it. Because he doesn't want to remember that time when the kid thought he would die. When _Tony_ thought Peter would die.

He lets out a big breath when he sees the kid's confused face. Shit. Obviously, Peter wants to talk about it.

"Look, kid," Tony says, sweeping a hand through his hair. "You know I hate talking about stuff like this. But… back then when I thought you would… well, you scared the shit out of me, Pete. And not only because I was afraid that you wouldn't make it… but because I thought you didn't know… I never told you… You're important to me kid," he states firmly, looking Peter in the eye. "You're family, Peter. And I love you. And I hate that I needed to see you like that to… to finally find the courage to say it to you. I'm sorry. I should have told you earlier."

He can see tears shimmering in the boy's eyes and he suddenly feels scared. Geez, what did he do? Did he say something wrong?

But through his tears, Peter gives him a huge smile. Then, probably seeing the utter confusion on Tony's face, he starts laughing.

"Can I… can I get a hug, Mr. Stark?" he says.

Tony chuckles relieved. "Sure, buddy, you can get whatever you want."

He quickly envelops the kid in a tight hug but he reminds himself that he needs to be careful, the boy hasn't recovered yet. He feels so grateful that he can hold him in arms, that Peter's still here with him. This kid… Shit. He can see tears stinging in his eyes, too.

"Okay, I'm gonna find Aunt Hottie now," he says, ruffling the boy's hair.

Peter lies back against his pillow and gives him a nod. Tony walks to the door but instead of opening it, he suddenly comes to a halt.

"By the way," he says over his shoulder. "That algorithm? That was a test. I knew you just pretended to sleep."

Peter chuckles behind him. "Whatever helps you sleep at night, Mr. Stark."

**Author's Note:**

> So what do you think? Let me know, please.
> 
> Hopefully, I can bring you another story soon. But I should also get back to my WIP, right?
> 
> Anyway, thank you for reading!


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